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"The Makerspace Starter Kit includes: Makerspace Welcome Letter (pdf) Makerspace Starter Kit (pdf) Mini Maker Notebook (pdf) If the links above don't work , please try these alternate  Dropbox Download Links: Makerspace Welcome Letter, Makerspace Starter Kit, MiniMaker Notebook. Directions: Please read the Makerspace Welcome Letter then download and print the Makerspace Starter Kit (pdf) and the Mini Maker Notebook. The Makerspace Starter Kit (pdf) should be folded with a hamburger fold then a second hamburger fold so the words in bold are on the outside. Folding instructions for the Mini Maker Notebook can be found at http://www.pocketmod.com/howto. Find out more about the Mini Maker Notebook here. Why a Makerspace Starter Kit? I have spent much of the last year spreading the word about makerspaces in workshops, webinars, Twitter conversations and on this blog. Teachers and librarians often tell me that they are thinking about creating a makerspace. I leave these conversations wishing that I could help with the hardest part, getting started. In fact, one of my earliest blog posts was encouraging teachers to simply start MAKING in the classroom. The Makerspace Starter Kit is my solution.   Deluxe version of the Makerspace Starter Kit that includes designs for laser cutting and 3D printing a Makerspace sign is at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:297759."

"Kids love VidRhythm, they really enjoy seeing themselves in the final video it produces and are usually in fits of laughter watching them back."

"Yesterday was my last class with my 2nd grade GT students. I like them to do some sort of reflection at the end of the year, and we usually spend a lot of time reviewing the events of the past 9 months. (Otherwise, their favorite memory tends to be the very last thing we did.) This year, I decided to try something different. I showed the students how to access the categories of our class blog so they could view all of the posts for 2nd grade for this year. Then they went through the posts, and chose pictures that were meaningful to them. As they were on iPads, I taught them how to hold their finger on an image to save it to the Camera Roll (fair warning - this is a tricky skill for 2nd graders). After about 30 minutes, I showed them the Pic Collage app. They were allowed to add any pictures that they wanted to their collages. Many added text (and stickers, of course!) They loved the activity. When they were finished, each student had a personal poster to remind him or her of the year in GT. If we had more time, we would have made ThingLinks with reflections, similar to last year."

PixStop, a fresh new app that enables you to make stop-motion films on your iPad 2. Designed to capture as many as 10,000 images, Pixstop allows you to create mini masterpieces up to 13 minutes long. Excitement! Free in Canada

"Some of the ideas for using the iPad in the classroom in the following presentation by scribd user denag33 are better than others. Projecting an image, making music, controlling your classroom computer, using it as a mini-whiteboard, accessing information, keeping notes, blogging, tracking an IEP checklist, making an impromptu teleprompter, and creating concept maps are some of the better ones. Some of the presentation is a bit janky as well-illegible text, for starters-but the inclusion of both apps and ideas together, along with the sheer number of ideas, made it worth sharing."

"Today, I finally got an iPad. An iPad mini, to be exact. And now the search for good French apps begins. The choice is vast and while there are many free apps to choose from, it appears that often the better apps cost money. The problem is, one cannot explore an app until it is bought! I therefore created this blog to facilitate the search for appropriate FSL apps. I will be reviewing apps on a regular basis, and rating them so that you can better judge whether to buy them or not. I will only review apps that require a purchase. The free ones you can test out yourself (see some of them below, #1)!"

"android*anti-malware*blogging*build website*computer automation*computer hardware*computer security*ebook*feedreader*gmail*hardware*html*hulu*ifttt*iOS*ipad*ipad mini*iphone*job search tips*linux*linux distro*mac os x*media center*microsoft windows*movies*netflix*online video*password manager*photoshop tips*productivity tips*programming*record video*root device*rss*rss aggregator*social media*tablet computer*television*television show*ubuntu*web browser*web development*windows phone 7*wordpress*writing tips"

"I love gadgets. It has to be said. For me they represent the cutting edge of humanity and where we can go as a human race. When I used to watch Star Trek: Next Generation, as a teenager I used to say 'never in my lifetime' when I used to see Geordi La Forge holding a PADD in the engine room. And now look at us. iPads and other tablets are everywhere, as commonplace as a wrist watch, and even those are amazing these days too. I'm lucky to have a number of programmable gadgets. I have a number of Sphero's, an Ollie, an Ozobot (which I really should have blogged about by now which are awesome for KS1 Computing) and now a Parrot Rolling Spider mini-drone."

"My iPad Pro arrived this past week to my excitement. I have used it for just a few days now at this point. There are absolutely no regrets about this large purchase (I joked that it did cost exactly half of what I paid for my first car!). I am thoroughly impressed by this device. The larger size of this iPad gives it a new device feeling, as opposed to just a refreshed model of the same dimensions. For a size reference, here is the iPad Pro side by side with the iPad 4: And here it is next to the iPad Mini:   I hope to do a series of posts outlining my use of the iPad Pro. This first post will just outline some initial thoughts on the device, and who I think it is best suited for. Readers of this blog will know that I'm a huge supporter of using iPads for content creation as opposed to just content consumption. The iPad Pro, along with the new features of iOS 9, bring with it many more possibilities of doing so."

"Teachers may offer up a killer classroom library and carve out class time for silent reading, but these two things do not guarantee prolific reading, or even moderate reading from your students. One of my goals when I was teaching high school was this: to have students fall in love with reading while they were in my classroom (or at least like it a little more). So how do you motivate secondary students in a deeper, lifelong reader way? It's not just about helping a student find that right book, as teachers often see as the ultimate mission, but it's about giving reasons for reading -- and really good ones. Because let's face it, there's plenty of stuff we all have to read that we may not be crazy about, but we know it's good for us. The following motivators are inspired by educator Kelly Gallagher's book, Reading Reasons: Motivational Mini-Lessons for Middle and High School."

On TLN we are playing a game- Six-Word Memoirs- if you were writing a mini-memoir of your teaching life, what would your six words be?

"Osmo was created by young parents and encourages social interaction by expanding interaction with games to the area in front of an iPad. It does this by providing a white stand and a red mirror that works with iPad and iPad mini. The reflector lets the front-facing camera recognize what is placed in front of iPad. Something to know is that iPad must be removed from any case in order to fit into the stand."

"When you find something cool that Adam Bellow likes, the chances are high that you will like it too! For me, this truism manifested itself recently in the form of a tweet Adam sent declaring his love for the recently released Tickle app for iOS. Tickle is a free coding app for the iPad that lets students create programs to control Spheros, Air Parrot Drones, and even Philips Hue Lights. Intrigued? I thought you might be! Here's what you need to know. Tickle started as a Kickstarter campaign, and uses block coding elements that were inspired by the likes of Scratch, Tynker, Blockly and Hopscotch. The simple coding interface is accessible enough to be used with early elementary students, but it has enough potential to challenge middle school students and beyond. Programs can be written and tested in the app without connecting to any other devices, but connecting to a Sphero or an Air Parrot Mini Drone is where the real fun begins."

"I recently discovered Boclips for Teachers, a portal hosting more than 2 million short-form educational videos from more than 100 of the educational video producers you already know and love. Familiar sites like TED-Ed, LearnZillion, Associated Press, PBS, Crash Course, Reuters, Bozeman Science and Smithsonian have offered permission for the site to curate their excellent content in a distraction-free, ad-free environment. Content is selected by teachers for teachers. Boclips for Teachers spans age/grade levels and disciplines. Content includes instructional video, animations, mini-documentaries, historical footage, breaking news and virtual reality. Teachers may use the platform to share, edit, and store videos or they might easily copy BoClips links to share on their own websites and learning management systems. Unfortunately, the search does not yet allow users to filter for subject, age level, curriculum standards, etc"

Audio software which is like Twitter except messages are spoken. Writing teachers find it a useful tool to catch thoughts on the run, Users can 'follow' people as in Twitter and Facebook. Messages are called boos. Mobile, laptop, or desktop usability.

"The Maker Movement has inspired progressive educators to bring more hands-on learning and tinkering into classrooms, and educator Gary Stager would like to see formal schooling be influenced by the Maker Movement, which has inspired young learners to tinker, to learn by doing, and take agency for their learning."

"You can use an adapter and a cable to mirror exactly what's on your iPad's display onto a projector or television screen. When picking out an adapter, you need to know if your device has a Lightning or 30-pin Dock connector. New iPads and iPad minis have a Lightning connector. iPad 2 has a Dock connector."